So many people here keep talking about how the Wings *need* goal scoring and I just don't get why people are so hell bent on adding a Parise-type. Obviously, it would be phenomenal to add him to any roster, but its not as if the Wings struggled to put the puck in the net last year. They still ended up 4th in the NHL in scoring. And before anyone replies,the need for a bonafide goal-scorer is not lost on me.

The bottom line, is the defense needs to be the focal point this offseason given our massive losses. Add Semin to go along with Suter and we're in good shape. Add Parise but not Suter....and we're f***ed.

Speaking of whom, what if Kenny fails to land Parise and ends up signing Jagr instead?

I have to imagine that if we lose out on Parise, we'll make a strong push for Semin. From reports that I have seen, it sounds like Semin may be waiting for the Wings to make an offer, but that could be hearsay. Not a stretch though, may want to play with his countryman Datsyuk.

Speaking of whom, what if Kenny fails to land Parise and ends up signing Jagr instead?

At least it would be a big middle finger to the East. I'd personally like to see him on a line with Dats and Bert. I know it sounds odd, but I think Bert still has a knack for making some good passes. Plus he's a big distracting body, so he might draw some attention away from a streaking Jagr....if he's still able to streak.

So many people here keep talking about how the Wings *need* goal scoring and I just don't get why people are so hell bent on adding a Parise-type. Obviously, it would be phenomenal to add him to any roster, but its not as if the Wings struggled to put the puck in the net last year. They still ended up 4th in the NHL in scoring. And before anyone replies,the need for a bonafide goal-scorer is not lost on me.

The bottom line, is the defense needs to be the focal point this offseason given our massive losses. Add Semin to go along with Suter and we're in good shape. Add Parise but not Suter....and we're f***ed.

The Wings struggled to score when it mattered. They were not an offensive powerhouse the last portion of the year. Sure, we can score goals, but we rely on role players to score consistently and too often it just dried up. The Wings need a reliable scorer to carry us through those droughts when our role players can't score for us. And, many times we lost games because we didn't have a "shoot-first" mentality player. Sammy will help a bit in that regard, but a bona-fide finisher like Ryan, Nash or Parise would help this team get out of the 1st round.

EDIT: And adding Semin doesn't really help us. Sure, he can score goals, but not the kind we need. The desperately need a hard working scorer who will go to the dirty areas. Datsyuk and Zetterberg alone can't carry this team on their backs for 82 games plus playoffs.

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The Wings struggled to score when it mattered. They were not an offensive powerhouse the last portion of the year. Sure, we can score goals, but we rely on role players to score consistently and too often it just dried up. The Wings need a reliable scorer to carry us through those droughts when our role players can't score for us. And, many times we lost games because we didn't have a "shoot-first" mentality player. Sammy will help a bit in that regard, but a bona-fide finisher like Ryan, Nash or Parise would help this team get out of the 1st round.

EDIT: And adding Semin doesn't really help us. Sure, he can score goals, but not the kind we need. The desperately need a hard working scorer who will go to the dirty areas. Datsyuk and Zetterberg alone can't carry this team on their backs for 82 games plus playoffs.

Hence, why I said "the need for a bonafide scorer isn't lost on me." I'm just ensuring people have the facts here in regards to team scoring. I obviously understand the need you're talking about, I'm just making a point. The fact of the matter is that Suter is beyond the number 1 need on this team at this moment. Adding him will help band-aid the losses of Lids and Stuart, but his addition alone won't be enough to replace them both. If we miss out on Suter or one/two of the other higher-end defensive talents while adding Parise, it puts the Wings in a more dire situation than the other way around.

Again, I understand the need for a Parise-type, but I've all but given up hope that he's coming to Detroit. If Kenny is gonna add some elite scoring talent (which I believe he will in the form of a Ryan or a Nash, etc.), its gonna be via trade.

EDIT: And adding Semin doesn't really help us. Sure, he can score goals, but not the kind we need. The desperately need a hard working scorer who will go to the dirty areas. Datsyuk and Zetterberg alone can't carry this team on their backs for 82 games plus playoffs.

That's mine concern as well. The Wings need goals, but they can't have anymore floaters. Its been a grind on Datsyuk and Zetterberg these last few years being the only ones on their line that go to the hard areas, despite big bodies like Franzen and Bertuzzi. Filppula has helped a lot, but that's three small players doing yeoman's, and Fil hasn't learned to finish.

I believe Semin will be signed if we do not get Parise. If we do not get Suter then I am no sure what the alternative is. Trade for Yandle? Sign Carle? All we can do is wait.

Increasingly, I think that would be the way to go. I'm pretty fatigued following this whole thing, but I haven't really had the strong sense that he'll sign with Detroit since FA opened.

Living in Minnesota, it's amazing to me how irrelevant this Wild franchise is to people. Red Wings fans would rather see Parise in Minnesota - a team rebuilding quickly in the Western Conference, who will likely be in the same DIVISION if restructuring happens - than in Pittsburgh, a team which we arguably would only have to worry about in a Cup Final.

I don't know what Suter's doing, exactly, but while they're both Midwest guys, it seems weird to me that he would follow Parise to the Wild. Parise makes sense in Minnesota as the hometown guy, but why does Suter need to play with Parise if he could play with any number of great players already on other teams?